Client Safety Program Lead, Permanent Full-Time

VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) is one of the largest not-for-profit home care providers in Ontario. Our team is made up of close to 3,000 caring and committed professionals who love what they do. Our providers tell us: “Home care is where I can truly make a difference. There is such a sense of accomplishment from helping people live independently at home.” Our teams work together to provide high quality, client-centred care to those who need it most in their homes, schools, retirement homes and other community settings. Many of our team members manage their own schedules in the community and they say, “The freedom and flexibility can’t be beat.” Providers form meaningful bonds with the clients and families they serve over time and are supported by a diverse regional team and beneficial home office programs. Team members tell us “I love the inclusive culture. I feel welcome and at home.”

View more comments from our clients and their family members.

Pay Range

Base Salary: $70,000- $100,000 (commensurate with experience)

VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) is committed to delivering the highest quality care to our clients and families.

“Client and Family-Centred Care is an approach to care that focuses on the whole person as a unique individual and not just on their illness or disease. It allows for health care providers to come to know and understand the person’s life story, experience of health, the role of family in the person’s life, and the role they may play in supporting the person to achieve health” – Registered Nurses of Ontario, 2015.

Reporting to the Director of Quality, the Client Safety Program Lead provides organization-wide leadership and stewardship for VHA’s Client Safety Program. Grounded in client/patient safety science, systems thinking, and high-reliability principles, the role leads a proactive, evidence-informed approach to preventing harm and supporting safe, high-quality care and services to our clients in the home healthcare sector.

The Client Safety Program Lead develops, implements, evaluates and continuously improves client safety frameworks, programs, policies and practices at VHA. Working closely with operational leaders, professional practice teams and other stakeholders, the role brings client/patient safety principles into everyday practice, supports learning from safety events, and helps build VHA’s capacity for sustainable safety improvement.

This role works across the organization to client safety priorities with VHA’s strategic direction, regulatory requirements and Accreditation Canada standards, while fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, learning and continuous improvement.
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Key Areas of Accountability:

VHA’s Client Safety Program Lead will be required to do the following tasks, but not limited to:

• Lead VHA’s Client Safety Program; including the development, implementation, evaluation and continuous improvement to achieve quality and safety outcomes.
• Establish organizational client safety priorities, goals, indicators and short and long-term work plans that align with strategic objectives, Accreditation standards, and best practice.
• Monitor emerging client safety trends, evidence and leading practices.
• Provide expert consultation, guidance and influence across the organization regarding client safety.
• Provide leadership to client safety governance structures, including chairing VHA’s Client Safety Committee.
• Champion a positive culture of client safety that promotes transparency, accountability, learning and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate and maintain organizational readiness related to Accreditation Canada’s Required Safety Practices (RSPs).
• Monitor organizational compliance and provide leadership, communication and guidance to departments, leaders, and teams regarding accreditation-related safety expectations.
• Provide oversight and leadership for organization client safety incident reporting, review, analysis and follow-up processes.
• Lead critical/significant client safety incident analysis reviews, including root cause analysis and VHA’s incident decision tree to identify contributing factors and opportunities for system-level improvement.
• Develop and maintain organizational approach to client safety measurement, monitoring, and reporting.
• Establish, monitor and analyze client safety indicators, trends and outcomes.
• Apply quality improvement methodologies and the rapid cycle improvement model (plan-do-study-act) to identify and advance change ideas to improve client safety.
• Apply change management principles to facilitate adoption and sustainability of client-safety related change initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a health-related field (e.g. Quality and Patient Safety, Public Health, Health Administration) or equivalent required.
• Recognized certification in patient/client safety required (e.g. Certified Professional in Patient Safety [CPPS] or equivalent).

• Lean Six Sigma – Green Belt Certification required.

• Minimum five (5) years of progressive experience in patient/client safety within a healthcare setting.
• Regulated health professional preferred.
• Experience leading Accreditation Canada readiness activities and supporting the implementation of safety-related practices.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational patient/client safety programs and initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading incident review processes and implementing sustainable systems-level improvements.
• Strong knowledge of patient/client safety science, safety culture, systems thinking, human factors, and high reliability principles.

• Experience developing and managing organizational safety indicators, dashboards and performance reports.

What makes VHA’s compensation unique?

• Benefits and pension plan for permanent eligible employees

• Compensation for education and professional development

• VHA is a leading learning organization so we can provide you with comprehensive orientation and training at the start and throughout your career

• Mentorship and peer support

• Career development opportunities

• Employee and family assistance program

• Wellness resources

• Perks & discounts

• Staff & service provider events

Accommodation and VHA’s commitment to DEI

At VHA Home HealthCare (VHA), we passionately strive to uphold our commitments to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. We champion inclusion and diversity in all parts of our organization and are strong believers that a diverse workforce is key to the ongoing and future success of VHA. We aim to review all applicants with fair and unbiased recruitment practices where opportunities are presented based on merits, skills, and experience. VHA is committed to providing reasonable accommodation and our services are accessible and sensitive to the needs of diverse groups. If you require any accommodation, please let us know in advance as we are happy to comply.

How to Apply?

Our online application should take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

VHA is accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada; an RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization designate; and a founding member agency of United Way Greater Toronto.

Thank you to everyone who applies. We will review applications as they are received. We’ll only be contacting those selected for further discussion.

In every role and at every level, we lead with purpose, build bonds that matter, and we’re passionate about providing spectacular care.